


Get Cool

by rynsngyl



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Middle School, Dad Seungwoo, Dates, Fluff, M/M, namgyul bros, schemes, teachers! seungyoun wooseok and yohan, valentines day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25517581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rynsngyl/pseuds/rynsngyl
Summary: Mr. Cho's students can't let their favorite teacher be alone on Valentine's Day, so they take it in their own hands to find the perfect date candidates for their English teacher.
Relationships: Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Han Seungwoo, Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Kim Wooseok | Wooshin, Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Kim Yohan, Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Lee Hangyul
Comments: 27
Kudos: 66
Collections: Different Pools Fic Fest





	Get Cool

**Author's Note:**

> hello i would like to apologize to the prompter because they were supposed to be fourth graders but they're actually sixth graders in this fic... I don't know how to read :( but i hope it's still good

“And that’s it for homeroom!” Seungyoun calls out. He’s sure half of his class is either not paying attention, or dead asleep, because that’s just how kids are.

He knows that it won’t to him any good to get angry or try to discipline to the students into paying attention, considering he’s their first class of them day, bright and early at seven AM, and he’s heard that they have one of Wooseok’s infamous “killer exams” later in the day. 

Some of his more studious kids, like Minhee, Junho, and Dohyon, have probably stayed up all night long trying to cram in those last few bits of information in hopes of being able to be fully prepared for the painfully long math exam.

Others have probably accepted their fate and have mentally prepared themselves to absolutely fail.

The start of the new year brings not only new seasons and winds, but also increasingly complex subjects for his students to learn as the new semester starts.

Turning from the board, it seems like his suspicions are true: as the bell rings, he catches a glimpse of Dongpyo and Hyeongjun teaming up to drag a barely conscious Minhee from his desk, Eunsang and Junho packing the tall boy’s things while Dohyon stands by the door chowing down on a melon bread as he waits for his friends. 

“Guys hurry up!” The youngest yells, anxiously looking at the clock on the wall of the classroom. “I really don’t want to be late to PE! If we’re late then Mr. Kim said that we’d have to run an extra lap!” 

He finishes his bread as quickly as he speaks, “You guys _know_ I can’t afford to run an extra lap on top of the daily workout,” he pleads watching how the two shortest fumble with Minhee’s limp limbs. 

“This is hopeless,” Dongpyo calls out, one hand waving the other three away. “Just go! We’ll catch up!”

It feels somewhat like a movie scene as the three students leave their friends behind, as if they’re leaving the others for the dead in order to fulfill a mission. But they’re just heading towards the locker room so that they could go change and warm up for class. 

The halls bustle with other students that talk and chatter with their friends as they head to their next class, or simply crowd the hallways to gossip with friends before class resumes. In general, it’s usually the teachers that move classrooms, but students will also move classes when teachers have specialized classrooms like music or lab sciences.

The trio move quickly through the halls, making their way to the large doors that lead to the boys locker room, happy that all their lockers are in the same row.

Upon some sort of a miracle, they’re halfway through changing when the door clangs open, revealing a disheveled Dongpyo and Heyongjun, who mercilessly drags Minhee to his locker, where his books and backpack are delicately placed, kudos to Eunsang. 

“Why did we have to drag him here?” Hyeongjun complains as he puts his track suit on. “We’re the shortest ones! If anything, Dohyon should have dragged his ass here!”

“Hey, hey, hey!” The youngest backs away with his hands raised in surrender, “The last time I was on drag duty, I dropped him five times!” He’s never been the best fit of the six friends, extremely lanky and gangly, not fully used to his long limbs and sudden growth spurts that come with his youth.

Minhee stands tall in his uniform, rolling his eyes at his friends' antics. “And I still remember the bruises I had after that, so I’d really appreciate it if we keep Dohyon off drag duty.” 

He casually puts Eunsang into a headlock, catching his friend off guard, though the boy doesn’t try to fight off his grip. “Now let’s get out there before Mr. Kim makes us all run.” 

If anything, the six of them are quite the mismatched group of friends. Half of them are nerds: Dohyon, Minhee and Junho would rather sell out their friends than lose marks on any school related.

But those three happen to be the tallest in their group, and if Dohyon and Minhee are known as kid geniuses, Junho also has a shared title with Eunsang as the school’s pair of stunning visuals. Their soft spoken nature and charming smiles easily make them the apple of many girls’ eyes.

Dongpyo and Hyeonjun are loud. They’ve got the school body wrapped around their fingers with their popularity and probably know every single student in their school. The chatterboxes never really stop talking, filling in the gaps where their other friends leave space for conversation. 

And it’s their bright personalities that lets the two boys create close bonds with most of their teachers. 

“Mr. Kim! Good morning!” Hyeongjun yells across the gymnasium as he practically skips to the bleachers, his other five friends in tow.

The teacher is dressed in a comfy athleisure, also dressed in a tracksuit, though it’s not in the school’s colors. He also sends a bright smile as he marks off the attendance with the arrival of more students. 

“I told you already, call me Yohan!” He laughs, ruffling Dongpyo’s hair as he passes by. “When you guys address me so formally it makes me feel so old!”

“And last week other Mr. Kim heard us talking about you informally, and he totally gave us hell for it in class!” Dongpyo complains, sitting down next to his friends in a little cluster. “Besides,” he adds on, smirking mischievously, “you _are_ old!”

Yohan’s face pulls back in distaste, “I’m twenty-two, I’m literally nowhere near being old!”

Dohyon, ever the genius, pipes in, “Well I’m ten, and you’re more than double my age so you’re _ancient!”_

“Okay this is just bullying now,” Yohan sighs amidst the kids giggling at Dohyon’s jab, “Stop calling me old or I’m not going to let you guys pick teams for basketball today!”

The way the students fall silent in an instant brings a smirk to Yohan’s face, loving the way that middle schoolers are always concerned with such menial things like picking teams for an hour long game of basketball.

“We’ll just be playing basketball today because it’s the start of February and I want to give you guys a break before we start our actual sports rotations, so get into teams of three and find another team to face off with!”

It’s obvious that the six of them are going to face off against each other, but the difficulty comes with attempting to divide themselves into two teams. 

“Hey! You can’t have Minhee and Dohyon on the same team!” Dongpyo complains as the tall pair, along with Eunsang, naturally come together to create a team. “Too much height in one team!”

Junho, who returns to the group with a ball, calls out, “I think it is fair, considering having Dohyon on the team is a disadvantage,” he checks the ball towards Eunsang, who easily dribbles the ball before passing it back. 

“I hate to admit it, but that’s the truth,” Dohyon pipes up, looking over his shoulder to make sure that Yohan doesn’t see him eating the pocky that he hid in his tracksuit jacket. “We’re just going to casually play anyways, so I don’t see the point of making a fuss.” 

Dongyo’s eyes narrow, “I’ve got a score to settle with Kang over there,” he says, glaring at Minhee, who only sighs and rolls his sleeves up. He walks over, right up in Dongpyo’s face, as if flaunting his height.

“And you’ll be crying by the time class is over and we’re off to math,” the tall boy taunts, though it’s all in good fun. The other four merely roll their eyes at the display of teasing rivalry between the two, getting into their positions at the sound of Yohan’s whistle resounding through the gym. 

“So February,” Eunsang starts, conversing with Hyeongjun, who’s guarding him, waiting for a chance to possibly steal the ball. “ Excited for anything?”

“Um, Valentine's day!” The younger one says, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Free chocolate? Cute decorations? That’s all I’m waiting for.” 

Eunsang opts for a pass from up high, considering Minhee’s basically towering over Dongpyo. “I’ve never really understood the hype behind Valentine’s day if you ask me.” The ball sails through the air and finds itself in Minhee’s hands, who evades Dongpyo’s quick grab for the ball.

Minhee is able to shake off Dongpyo and jog across the court to make a laid back layup, which flawlessly bounces off of the backboard and into the net with a swish. 

“Nice!” Dohyon practically screams from where he is, head now in the game because he’s finished up all the snacks that he’s managed to sneak in. “But I’ll also have to agree with Eunsang,” he says, as they set up for the next pass in. “Other than the food, I really can’t see why people like Valentine's day so much.”

Dongpyo’s face takes on a grimace at his friend’s words, and he tucks the ball under his arm instead of passing in from where he’s stationed at the line. “Valentine’s day is all about _romance,”_ he insists, “At least that’s my aunties and my dad say.”

“Ew, romance,” Junho adds, “My older sisters go wild for Valentine’s day because apparently it’s the perfect day to get a boyfriend.” He thinks of the way his older sisters stay up, making failed little chocolates all night long.

“You’re one to talk about romance,” Minhee jokes, “You and Eunsang always get so many confessions, and we’re just in middle school!” 

Suddenly, a whistle blows, a sharp shrill sound right behind Dongpyo. It’s Yohan, who has a hand on his hip as he watches them.

“Guys, we’re supposed to be playing basketball, not chit chatting!” He says, but he’s really just nagging because he’s a little too fond of his students, so he can’t ever bring himself to get any of them in actual trouble.

Dohyon eagerly pipes up, “We’re talking about something important though.” He points over to Eunsang, “We don’t understand why Valentine’s day is so hyped!” The other five all look at their teacher expectantly, because it clicks that Yohan’s the _perfect_ person to ask about the subject as an educator and self declared “cool teacher.”

“Well love is a big part of the day,” the teacher starts off, “When you get to high school and college, a lot of people use it as a day to act on their feelings for someone else, so that’s why a lot of young people _like me_ really enjoy the day.”

He looks a little pensive, as if considering other answers when he sees six pairs of wide eyes engrossed in his answer. ”But when you do get a little older, I guess the magic of the day kind of fades away because you realize that you’re lonely.”

“Have _you_ ever acted on your feelings during Valentine’s day?” Hyeongjun asks, curious about his teacher’s experiences. 

A little blush flashes across his face, seemingly remembering a moment.

“I have,” he sheepishly says. “I confessed to a classmate I had a crush on in middle school, and I got rejected, but he’s a really good guy. Moved away almost two weeks later, so I guess it was for the best.”

Yohan shakes his head, as if clearing his thoughts of his middle school experiences. “But less about me, and it’s about time you lot go and keep playing basketball.”

As Yohan speedwalks away, the six of them all converge, because Dongpyo gains that look in his eye that means that he wants to _gossip_ about their newfound information. 

“Can you believe that someone would reject Mr. Kim?” Minhee whispers.

Eunsang shakes his head vehemently, “That’s insane. He’s tall, handsome, and _super_ nice.”

“Whoever rejected Mr. Kim is an asshole.” Junho bluntly remarks, making the whole crew laugh out loud. 

“Are we forgetting the part where he said that Valentine’s day makes old people feel sad because they’re lonely?” Dohyon adds on.

“And what about it?” Hyeongjun pipes up, not really catching onto Dohyon’s thought process. 

“Do you know who’s old?” He asks in return, before he’s met with shaking heads. 

“Mr. Cho is old! What if he’s going to spend his Valentine’s day all alone and sad! We can’t let that happen to our favorite teacher!”

Dongpyo gasps, obviously amazed by Dohyon’s conclusion, “Oh my god you’re _right!”_

Their homeroom and English teacher, Mr. Cho, is arguably one of the best teachers in the entire school, considering he’s an amazing educator, and knows how to interact well with the students. Kids get their work done because they _respect_ him, not because he forces them too.

“As the mastermind of this group,” Minhee declares, “There’s only one thing we can do,” his eyes scan over the rest of his friends to make sure that they pay their utmost attention to him. “We need to find him a date for Valentine’s day!” 

“Where do we even start?” Eunsang asks, though he’s genuinely interested in the plan like the rest of his friends. 

Junho’s the first to suggest a plan of action. “We need to compile a list of good characteristics, and then regroup tomorrow with possible candidates that fulfill the requirements.”

“They have to be tall, good looking, cool, dependable, and totally just an amazing person!” Hyeongjun says, smiling as the rest of them nod in agreement. 

They all put their hands in the middle, wrapping up their conversation as fast as possible because Yohan’s coming back, and they need to start playing basketball again before they get in trouble.

“Operation Valentine’s day begins today!”

///

It’s lunchtime of the next day when the six of them are able to finally sit down and discuss their possible candidates for Operation Valentines.

“Alright team,” Minhee says after they push their tables into a group, giving them ample desk space to fit their lunches but also the perfect shape to look at each other. “Let’s hear our candidates!”

It also helps that Mr. Cho lets them eat in the music classroom unsupervised, because their plans are super secret and classified.

Dohyon and Junho have notebooks out, though Dohyon places his lunchbox right atop his notebook, intent on finishing his food before he becomes a dedicated scribe who is ready to make note of their candidates and compile the information at hand.

“My candidate is my dad!” Dongpyo says, smiling as he pulls out his cellphone to show a picture of him and his father, posed together in casual clothing at what seems to be a theme park. “He’s tall, cool and _rich_!”

He scrolls through his gallery, showing off images of the two of them traveling, going on trips, and just having fun. “As you guys know, my dad’s the coolest guy in the world!”

The rest of his friends nod along in agreement, because Dongpyo’s dad is arguably the coolest dad they’ve ever had the chance to meet, always driving them places and letting them host sleepovers in the Han family home.

“Your dad is hella cool,” Eunsang says, and it stokes Dongpyo’s pride just a bit to know that all his friends love his dad. 

Donypyo smiles as bright as the sun, thinking about time spent with his dad traveling to all places around the city, taking vacations overseas and most of all, thinking about just how great his life would be if his dad would have a significant other to share all these feelings with. 

He's probably one of the most popular parents of their friend group, the kids marveling at his tattoos on the days he'd wear a short sleeve and not his usual suit and tie, because all their parents say tattoos are for less than successful people and yet people like Mr. Han and Mr. Cho exist. 

"I think I see your point trying to get your dad and Mr. Cho together," Minhee hums. "They're both super cool for their age and I think they'd get along pretty well, though we won't know until we get them to meet."

The tall boy nods in approval, and Junho sends a thumbs up from where he diligently takes note of Dongpyo's candidate on their masterlist. "What about you, Dohyon?"

It's to be expected that Dohyon has his mind more into inhaling the contents of his lunch box rather than think too much about the actual plan at hand. It takes Eunsang skillfully pulling the box away from their youngest friend and holding his precious food hostage that gets the tall boy to finally get his head back in the game.

"You're not getting this back until you give us your answer," Hyeongjun says, putting a and between Eunsang and Dohyon as a second line of defense against the tall kid. 

And Dohyon's shoulders visibly drop when he realizes that he's not going to be able to finish his lunch in record time. "I picked my brother," he says, holding out his hands with the expectation that his four word answer would be enough to reclaim is food. 

Junho perks up from his notebook, looking at Dohyon as expectantly as the rest of their group for more information. "Do you have anything else to add to that?" He says, "Putting 'Dohyon's brother' really isn't enough information for us to go off of you know."

"My brother, Hangyul, is twenty two and he's in university," Dohyon says, "You guys haven't seen him much because he volunteers a lot when he's not studying or teaching a dance class." He also takes out his phone for reference, showing a picture of his brother from his social media.

There's a collection of oohs and ahhs from the group, because volunteering means Dohyon's brother is kind, and from what he says, Hangyul sounds to be an upstanding, handsome citizen who studies well and even has a job.

"Your brother is a dance instructor?" Hyeongjun says, looking at Dongpyo with a knowing glance as they one to each other. "We should all take a class together!"

Dohyon shrugs, taking Hyeongjun's little pause as a window of opportunity to snatch his lunch out of Eunsang's reach. "I can ask if he can let us all into to a class one day."

Minhee, their self elected leader, easily redirects the conversation. "My candidate is Mr. Kim," he proudly says, to which everybody, other than Dongpyo and Dohyon give out a loud cheer.

"I chose Yohan too!" Both Hyeongjun and Eunsang put their hands up for high fives across the table.

It's that moment when Minhee's initial joy suddenly fades. "I meant our math teacher, not Yohan," he says, a little meek, as if he's guilty for raining on Hyeongjun's and Eunsang's parade as they both narrow their eyes at him and Junho. 

"Well why did you think evil Mr. Kim was a good choice?" The fluffy haired boy says. "He's an absolute menace! Like do you really think Mr. Cho would get along with somebody that gives no extra credit and consistent amounts of homework?"

Minhee rolls his eyes. "I'm doing this for the greater good." He gestures to his backpack, where presumably all his study materials are. "Love makes people happy, right? So if Mr. Kim were to fall in love with Mr. Cho, wouldn't that make him less strict and more..." he trails off, looking for the right words. 

"Enjoyable?" Junho offers, agreeing with Minhee's statements. "And think about it," Junho says, "Mr. Kim is the same age as Mr. Cho and he's also a really good looking guy! And their classrooms are right next door!"

Eunsang frowns, contemplating their words. "You make some good points but that will never change the fact that Yohan is the better Mr. Kim."

"Well," Junho says, "I've had the pleasure of coming to our Mr. Kim after class for questions and he's a really nice guy when we're not in class, like super funny!"

"But Yohan brings joy, he's decently young, and he's super cool like Mr. Cho!" Hyeongjun defends. "Wouldn't they make a great couple?"

Minhee sighs, "They would, but I believe in our Mr. Kim too.”

Junho's already taking a picture of his notebook at these words. "I'll send these in the groupchat and we can add more info as we go along, but it looks like we're all set."

It’s Dohyon who raises his can of apple juice, prompting the others to join in using their own drinks, from calpico to water bottles to even a juicebox, courtesy of Eunsang. 

“May the best candidate win!”

///

**_pyo_ **

_lol im gonna do my plan at the end of the day_

**_minhee_ **

_already? its been an hour since lunch_

**_eunsang_ **

_bruh i haven’t even talked to yohan yet bc we have him second period : ((_

**_pyo_ **

_unlike you guys i have the perfect plan to get my dad and mr. cho to meet_

**_dodo_ **

_um our last class in in 5 mins what are you even going to do_

**_junho_ **

_lol who cares about his plot ,, all i care about is my own plan oof_

**_hyeongjun_ **

_you have made some points_

**_pyo_ **

_whatever just don’t wake me up when class ends bc im gonna pretend to be asleep lol_

_i swear im a complete mastermind lol_

///

Their last class is English, which is conveniently taught by Mr. Cho. Given that Dohyon’s already fluent in English, Dongpyo already has the youngest promise to send him his notes and help him with their homework once school is over. 

It’s honestly pretty easy to get away with sleeping in Mr. Cho’s class, considering he really doesn’t care if a student sleeps, as long as they do their assignments and aren’t a repeat offender of not paying attention to his lectures.

And Donpyo has never fallen asleep in a class before, so he’s hoping that Mr. Cho will grant him some leniency for the sake of him being able to get his teacher to meet his dad. In the end it’s all going to be worth it, because what’s one lost day of lessons compared to scoring his dad and his favorite teacher a Valentine’s day date?

So he lays his head on the desk, closing his eyes and trying his very best to fall asleep, though no matter how close he shuts his eyes and tries to will himself into unconsciousness, it seems the added effort just makes him more awake.

He opts to just pretend, because he just needs to be ‘asleep’ long enough after the final bell that his concerned father will come rushing in to find him (because he knows his dad is overprotective like that) and hopefully strike up conversation with his teacher while he’s at it.

Through the long minutes, that seem more like hours, Dongpyo feels a little left out considering all his friends are joking and talking around him, and he curses Junho for being so effortlessly funny because he has to force himself to stifle his laughters to keep up his act. 

When the bell finally rings, he feels a couple of hands tap his back, presumably his friends signalling to him that they’re going to leave without him as planned, conveying a silent good luck and a promise to update them in the groupchat later.

Somewhere from across the room, he can hear Mr. Cho stop his friends by the door. “Are you guys just going to leave Donpyo here?”

“Yes,” Dohyon says, before presumably running out the door. “My older brother promised me food!” The youngest yells, voice fading the farther he runs from the classroom.

It’s Minhee that saves the operation. “Would it be okay if Dongpyo slept for just a little more, Mr. Cho? I know you stay after school grading and finishing up work.”

“He’s honestly had a hard day,” Eunsang adds on, and Dongpyo is silently cheering to himself because his friends are actually being useful for once. “We didn’t want to wake him up because it seems like he really needed the break for today.”

Dongpyo can imagine Hyeongjun and Junho nodding along, which they use as a numbers tactic to convince Mr. Cho, because if all four of them are in agreement, it must certainly seem like the truth to the teacher.

“That seems fine,” their teacher says, pensive. “Well have a good day guys!” And with the sounds of hurried footsteps that seem to disappear down the hall, Dongpyo’s plan is in action.

///

It only takes ten minutes for his dad to come barreling into the room, Mr. Cho lets out a little yell in surprise as he’s caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a parent in his classroom. 

He’s embarrassed, but then panicked as he realizes that he had forgone his outer layer when he started to grade papers, arms covered in tattoos on full display from his short sleeve shirt. Seungyoun knows how parents _hate_ tattoos, thinks that ink is equivalent to a bad influence. 

Before he even knows it, he whips around, grabbing the expensive fabric of his jacket before he throws it on, an apology already on the tip of his tongue as he turns to face the parent once more.

“I’m _so_ sorry, I swear i’m a good educator even if‒”

Seungwoo laughs, calming and reassuring. “It’s fine, I have a few tattoos as well, and I know for sure that they don’t define a person.” He smiles as Seungyoun realizes that Seungwoo isn’t going to chew him out for his tattoos.

“Besides, I’d hope that parents these days would be a little less than conservative about how teachers look. Not like a little ink is going to make you any less of an educator.”

Seungyoun assumes the tall man before him is Dongpyo’s father, a handsome man clad in a well fitted suit, hair and clothing as immaculate as his skin. He gets a little whiplash, because Mr. Han looks quite young for a father, and he dresses like he’s got a big shot job that pays lots of money.

“You must be Dongpyo’s father,” he comments, reaching his hand out for a polite shake of the hand, to which the man reciprocates his action, grip firm.

“And you must be Mr. Cho,” Seungwoo says. “He and the boys talk very highly of you. Did you know you’re their favorite teacher?”

Seungyoun can only assume that the ‘boys’ that Mr. Han refers to are Dongpyo’s group of friends, which makes him flush just a little bit in embarrassment because it frankly means a lot to him to know that his students like him.

The teacher’s smile is bashful. “I’m very glad to hear that, to be honest. You know how middle schoolers are,” he jokes, gesturing for Seungwoo to take a seat so that they can continue their conversation. “It’s a really important time of their development, and it’s so important for them to build the right mindset and healthy behaviors.”

“And I think you’re doing a great job,” Seungwoo says. “Whenever the boys have a sleepover they always do your assignments first. Sometimes Dongpyo tells me about the things he’s learned in English class over dinner and has me practice with him so that he can do well during his presentations.”

There’s something so gratifying about Seungwoo’s words, his soothing voice and calming demeanor that paint his heart with warmth and validation. He feels a little wash of pride, knowing that he’s able to get kids to actually care about their schoolwork. 

But then he realizes that he probably looks a little too giddy, and in front of a parent as well, so he quickly schools his expression to one that’s more appropriate for the situation.

“Of course you’re probably here for Dongpyo, aren’t you,” the teacher says, diverting their attention as he points to the student, who has his face on the desk, rested in his arms. “I was a little worried, to be honest, because Dongpyo usually doesn’t sleep in class like this.”

He looks at Seungwoo, who seems troubled, as a parent should be if something out of the ordinary was taking place.

“But I asked his friends and they just said something about him just having a bad day today, which I guess is fine because everybody has their bad days, even carefree middle schoolers.”

Beside him, Seungwoo nods at him, though his eyes are locked on his son, gaze pensive. “I’m sure he’s fine, Mr. Cho, and I just want to thank you for letting him get some rest when you’re so busy.”

And Seungyoun’s laugh comes out shy, though hearty. “I always stay back after class to grade papers and prepare lessons anyways, so I figured it would be okay to give him a few more minutes you know.”

“And even if you _were_ going to stay after, I’m still grateful,” Seungwoo insists. “I’m sure it takes a lot to be a teacher. Having one kid is already a handful, so I can’t imagine how tired you must be after teaching so many classes.”

They walk towards Dongpyo’s desk weaving through the desks that are peppered across the classroom in neat rows. 

“It’s a labor of love,” Seungyoun looks at Seungwoo, his smile soft, yet full of passion and fondness. “I think teaching is a profession where you always have to put the children before yourself. I never really think about my pay because being able to see how all these kids grow up right before my eyes is enough for me.”

///

“So dad,” Dongpyo says, seated in the backseat of the car while his dad leisurely drives them home. “Did you meet someone new today? Your phone is blowing up.”

From where he sits, he can’t miss the way that his dad’s phone lights up with not chat app notifications, but text notifications, meaning that someones _texting_ his dad on his personal phone, and Dongpyo knows Seungwoo doesn’t give his number to just anyone.

He tries to be nonchalant, seemingly scrolling on his own phone and to what his dad thinks, probably texting his friends in his group chat as he always does. But Dongpyo has one goal and one goal only: to figure out if his dad has secured Mr. Cho’s number. 

“Maybe I did meet someone today,” Seungwoo amicably says, eyeing his son briefly through the rearview mirror. 

“And now they’re blowing up your phone?”

His son is definitely on to something, and _he’s_ onto the fact that Dongpyo’s asking leading questions, so he decides to humor his son, because he’s open about the fact that he’s been looking for someone to date these days.

“Perhaps.”

Dongpyo pouts, tapping away at his phone, pretending not to care as much as he really does. “And what’s so good about this person that you gave them your number?” 

“They’re really good with kids, love their job, and not to mention look really good.” But then Seungwoo shrugs, a little lightly. “But then again we’ve only met today so I can’t say anything’s set on stone, Pyo.”

Yeah, Dongpyo is internally cheering on the inside, because all those characteristics exactly line up with what he heard when his dad and Mr. Cho were talking when they thought he was asleep.

But as much as he wants to scream and jump in joy, he tries to be calm, looking like a little apathetic kid too busy scrolling on his phone to hide the fact that he thinks that he’s a genius and mastermind.

“Oh, okay dad. At least take them out on a date sooner or later to test the waters.”

His father smiles. “That’s the plan.”

///

**_pyo_ **

_my brain is so big you guys don’t even know_

**_dodo_ **

_please dont tell me ur plan worked_

**_pyo_ **

_:)_

**_junho_ **

_no way_

**_pyo_ **

_my dad met somebody today that’s ‘good with kids, loves his job and looks good’_

**_dodo_ **

_omg,, thats mr cho,,,_

**_pyo_ **

_and he told me to wait outside so he could talk to mr cho a little more before we went home_

_put the pieces together guys :)))))_

**_minhee_ **

_omg he got his number???_

**_hyeonjun_ **

_UR DAD IS INTERESTED????_

**_eunsang_ **

_to think pyo did this all in one day,,,_

**_pyo_ **

_what can I say? im kind of an evil genius_

///

It’s during math class when Minhee and Junho decide to strike. The pair of them, along with Dohyon, always seem to finish their classwork and homework in record time, giving them ample amounts of free time during Mr. Kim’s math class.

But unlike Dohyon, who spends his extra minutes in class snacking or napping, Minhee and Junho usually help Mr. Kim with filing papers, marking off assignments, or whatever other errands he needs help with.

And though many would say that Mr. Kim is a terrifyingly strict teacher, he’s extremely nice to the kids that work hard in his class, and even has a soft spot for Minhee and Junho to the point where they easily converse as they help him during their free time.

“How have you been Minhee,” Mr. Kim asks as he absent mindedly grades last week’s math exam, passing off finished ones to Junho to enter in the grade on his computer and for Minhee to file it away to be passed back later.

Minhee hums in though as he thumbs the edge of the file folders as he sorts through the papers stacked next to him. “Honestly, I think I’ve been the same as ever.” 

“You know how middle school is,” Junho monotonously adds on, “Same old thing every day. Go to school then do homework.”

And it’s then that Mr. Kim breaks out in a laugh at Junho’s words. “I keep forgetting how funny you are, Junho.” It’s a little jarring to listen to how awkward Junho is, because somehow the kid’s one of the funniest in his class with his reactions and blunt words.

“Well how about you Mr. Kim? Is life any different for adults like you?”

Wooseok pauses, pen lifting from paper. “I guess not, unless figuring out what to do on Valentine’s Day counts.”

Minhee and Junho share a knowing look, carefully expressing plans with just their eyes as they silently agree to steer the conversation in the right direction.

“Valentine's Day?” The taller student asks, still dutifully filing papers as he prods for more information. 

Mr. Kim sighs, as if burdened with the question Minhee’s asked him. He places his papers and pen down on his desk, spinning in his chair around to look over the rest of the class.

They’re all quietly doing their assignments, a little chatter here and there but it’s nothing too loud and everybody seems to be minding their own business, so he completes the rotation to face the two students that are next to him at the front of the classroom.

“I’m trying to plan a date for Valentine’s Day, as in surprise someone with a date.” He puts his face in his hands, fingers rubbing slow circles to help rest his eyes. “I didn’t realize that planning a date would be harder than planning an entire year’s worth of lessons.”

At the student’s silence, he chuckles, reaching out to ruffle Junho’s hair. “Life gets tough when you get older, kids.”

“I also have a Valentine’s day concern,” Junho comments, but he takes a moment to fill in one last grade into the computer. “By the way, nice job on last week’s test Minhee,” as he makes three dramatic clicks on the laptop that’s presumably a ‘100’.

Minhee’s eyebrows could almost hit the roof, clearly not expecting Junho to take that route to divert the conversation. “You do?” He stops filing papers, leaning into to listen to his friend just as Mr. Kim sits up in interest.

“Yeah,” he says. “My older sister wants to confess to a dude that works at the same tutoring center as her, but she says she doesn’t know how to feel about a workplace relationship.” And then he looks towards Mr. Kim, expectant. “What do _you_ think about dating a coworker Mr. Kim?”

Surprisingly, the teacher’s face earns a little flush, somewhat of a little strawberry tint on his cheeks as he replies. “Well it’s only natural and perfectly possible for a workplace romance to happen,” though he quickly adds on, “ _as long as they stay professional of course.”_

“I see,” Junho replies, trying to be a little discreet and respectful to his math teacher as possible, but it seems like Minhee isn’t going to let Mr. Kim slide.

“Mr. Kim, you’re _blushing_ ,” the taller boy almost giggles, urging Junho to scoot his chair a little closer to where their teacher sits, now fully embarrassed and yet still attempting to slightly fan himself to calm the heat on his face.

The teacher swears under his breath now realizing that he’s got two kids looking at him at full attention, “You two are _so_ lucky you’re my favorite students.”

“Does this mean that _you_ have a workplace romance Mr. Kim?” Junho asks, voice as soft as a whisper just so the other students in the classroom won’t hear. 

Minhee mirrors his friend, scooting them all together in what seems to be like a little gossip circle. “And does this happen to be with a certain teacher next door?” If they’re going to be this direct, he might as well go in for the kill.

“My _god_ you kids are observant,” Wooseok swears as he looks at the two of them in shock, before he’s pinching the bridge of his nose as he seemingly thinks over his actions.

His eyebrows furrow in concern, lips turning downward into a small frown. “Is it that obvious?”

The two students share another knowing look, which kind of freaks the math teacher out. 

“No,” Junho shakes his head. “We’re just geniuses like that.” 

Minhee gives Wooseok a bright smile, almost blinding. “If your next door teacher is your supposed Valentine’s Day date, I think you should shoot your shot!”

“Thanks Minhee, I’ll keep that in mind.” The teacher sighs, sounding as if the boy’s enthusiasm and support isn’t really doing much to help the man’s internal turmoil.

Mr. Kim sinks his chair, a little defeated. “Don’t let this get out, _please.”_

“Your secret is safe with us!” Junho says, and the two students make a zipper motion over their lips, a promise of secrecy that makes the teacher feel just a little bit better about himself.

///

**_minhee_ **

_junho and i?? we are winners_

**_pyo_ **

_nah the winner is ME_

**_junho_ **

_do YOU have verbal confirmation that mr. kim has a crush on a teacher from next door (obv mr cho) like we do?_

**_dodo_ **

_excuse me what? mr kim is capable of love???_

**_junho_ **

_yes he is lol and he’s going to ask out mr cho for valentines day_

**_eunsang_ **

_lol but mr cho is gonna go out with OUR mr. kim,, trust me_

**_hyeongjun_ **

_yohan would never let us down,, we’ve been talking to him during class and he admitted that he’s interested in someone!!! someone just his type!!! tall w/ tattoos!!!!_

**_eunsang_ **

_aka mr cho SO evil mr kim better step up his game or he’s gonna lose him : )))_

**_minhee_ **

_i trust mr kim to follow the path of love and have a redemption arc like an anime villain_

**_pyo_ **

_lol what about dohyon_

**_dodo_ **

_i’ve got it dont worry lol_

///

It’s before first class, bright and early in the morning, when the boys walk into their homeroom class with Mr. Cho. 

The first thing they notice when they walk in is Mr. Cho and Mr. Kim, both showing each other things on their phones, the teachers speaking far too softly for the kids to even try to listen to whatever they’re talking about.

But what the kids _can_ see is the way their teachers interact. It’s a little shocking to see how excited and shy Mr. Kim seems as he talks to their homeroom teacher. The adults look like they’re having the time of their life, gossipping about whatever the hell is on their phones.

“Guys,” Minhee says, a proud smile on his face as Mr. Cho leans closer to Mr. Kim, seemingly to take another glance at the math teacher’s phone. “Do you not see this absolutely flawless chemistry?”

The two teachers share what seems to be a cute moment, because Mr. Cho whispers something in Mr. Kim’s ears before the shorter teacher slightly flushes and playfully smacks Seungyoun on the shoulder. 

“We’ve been telling you, it’s gonna be _our_ win when Mr. Kim finally asks out his longtime crush Mr. Cho out for Valentine’s Day.” Junho and Minhee share a high five, looking as smug as two middle schoolers can be this early in the morning.

Dongpyo’s eyes are narrowed, peering over at the way the two teachers are laughing together as if everything is sparkles and rainbows at seven AM, before he puffs his cheeks out, irritated. 

“I have full trust in my dad to wine and dine Mr. Cho’s socks off,” he says, “But I do see what you guys are talking about when it comes to their chemistry.”

But then he rolls his eyes and leans back in his seat. “My dad’s still going to win though.”

Hyeongjun shares a look with Eunsang, who pats the back of the curly headed kid in front of him in support. 

“I’ve never seen Mr. Kim look so… chill.” Hyeonjun says. “If anything I just hope his icy heart gets melted, even if he doesn’t win, because I really want a less strict math teacher.”

“Yohan’s winning, hands down,” Eunsang comments. “But what about you, Dohyon?”

The youngest friend shrugs, a little too busy eating an extremely large bag of seaweed potato chips to really care about whatever his friends are talking about. “My plan will be in action once Mr. Cho sees my grade on the last English exam.”

///

“Dohyon, could you stay a little bit after class today?” 

Mr. Cho’s voice is clearly concerned, brows furrowed at the paper he’s just graded. There’s a 35% written in bold red on the top of the exam papers. 

His youngest student happens to be a little genius in the making, a kid that he just _knows_ has a bright future in academics in years to come, already fluent in English at the age of ten and so clever that he’s skipped grades after taking the middle school’s entrance exam. 

So there’s no reason why one of his best students, with an immaculate record in English, to have failed an exam. He’s had full on conversations in English with Dohyon, and he’s pretty sure English is the kid’s first language, so the grade on the paper absolutely baffles him. 

As the rest of the kids excitedly file out of the class, the student walks up to take a seat in front of Mr. Cho’s desk, a little confused. And Seungyoun understands the confusion on Dohyon’s face, considering the kid is a star student. 

“Is there anything wrong Mr. Cho?” He tilts his head as if he didn’t purposely fail a test for this exact moment, but easily plays the part.

The teacher keeps a kind smile, though he’s a little confused and concerned himself. “I just wanted to let you know that you got a 35% on our last English exam, and I know you’re such a good student so I want to know if there’s anything wrong at home that’s affecting your learning.”

Dohyon _knows_ that he failed the test on purpose, hoping for Mr. Cho to send a call home to his brother and have Hangyul come in for a serious discussion about his academic trends. But he isn't really prepared to have a full on conversation about exactly _why_ he failed the test.

The student takes a deep breath, mind racing as he tries to come up with some random yet plausible excuse as to make his teacher call home.

“My home life has been a little rocky as of late,” he falsely admits, and he feels a little guilty as Mr. Cho places the exam to the side and gains an extremely concerned yet comforting stance in the way he sits. 

“Do you need to talk about it?”

He bites his lip preparing to create the lie of a century. 

“Well I live with my older brother, and the night before the test, I had to take him to the clinic because he fractured his ankle trying to save a cat from a tree. And then he couldn’t walk and I started freaking out because he’s a dance teacher, so if he can’t walk then he can’t work. My brother’s always been a man of responsibility and I guess that day I decided that _I_ should take responsibility and get a job to support us.”

His teacher is absolutely shocked at his words, seemingly processing all the information that his student has given him in one breath. 

“Dohyon, you’re ten, you can’t possibly get a job at this age,” he says a little weakly, when Dohyon looks absolutely resolute on his claims. “Should I call your brother? I’m sure we should have a talk about your home situation because I want to prioritize you and not solely your academics.”

It's quite baffling, because Dohyon is already passing over his own phone, that has his older brother’s number already in the keypad, one click away from sending a call. “Here’s his number Mr. Cho!”

The kid also looks suspiciously too giddy for a kid that’s supposedly going through a crisis, but then again, Dohyon’s always been the type to go with the flow, so maybe it’s just that he’s happy that he’s getting additional support?

He gingerly takes the phone, pressing the call button and putting the phone to his ear as the dial tone rings.

_“What’s up, kid? Is there anything wrong?”_

It’s a surprisingly low voice that rings over the call, raspy but also rich. There’s the sound of music booming in the background, and yells of somebody calling out an eight count. 

Seungyoun lets out a light cough to clear his voice before he puts on his ‘professional voice.’

“Hello, this is Cho Seungyoun, Dohyon’s English teacher. I’m calling about certain concerns about his home life interfering with his academics.”

The man on the other side of the line seems to pause, confused. _“Dohyon having a problem with academics? That doesn’t sound like him_.”

“And that’s exactly why I wanted to call to discuss this issue‒”

_“I’ll be right there, the studio is just across the street from the school.”_

And just like that, the man hangs up, leaving the teacher in a stupor from how abrupt the call was. He furrows his eyebrows once more, “Dohyon, you said your brother can’t walk?”  
  


“ _Did_ I say that?” The kid tilts a head, looks terrifyingly innocent, but before Seungyoun can even ask the kid to clarify anything else, the door to the classroom slides open.

A young man with disheveled hair that falls over his eyes and a black tank top that exposes most of his skin less than gracefully stumbles in, breathing heavy as if he’d ran all the way there.

“Hi,” the man quickly says with a wave of the hand. “I’m here to discuss any problems that Dohyon’s been having?”

Hangyul’s brother can clearly still walk, considering he’s run all the way to the school, and judging from the call, the man also still is working his dance teacher job just fine, so there’s something absolutely fishy going on with the situation.

“Please take a seat Mr. Nam,” He says, gesturing to the chair beside Dohyon.

Catching his breath and giving an odd look to his brother, he sits down. “It’s actually Mr. Lee, but I’d also rather you just call me Hangyul.”

Once again, Seungyoun curses himself for making assumptions, already apologizing for his mistake.

“I’m so sorry,” he mutters, shaking his head in embarrassment. “I just assumed because you were brothers‒”

The other man shrugs, “It’s fine, Dohyon and I aren’t actually blood related, but I fully guarantee you that as his legal guardian, I will do everything in my ability to accommodate for whatever issues he’s having with learning.”

“I’m very glad to hear that but I’m just a little confused because Dohyon said that he failed his last English test because he was busy worrying about your health after you’d fractured your ankle?”

The teacher gestures to Dohyons brother. “And you seem to be walking just fine, so I am just a little bit confused at this situation.” 

Hangyul’s eyes narrow, and he whips his head to peer into his little brother’s eyes, who’s looking very sheepish, fingers twiddling together in his lap and avoiding eye contact. 

“You said I can’t walk?”

The kid visibly blanches. “So _maybe_ I might have lied a little bit.” And when his older brother sighs, obviously disappointed, Dohyon looks to the floor, trying to will away his guilt because he’s obviously not as suave at planning as he previously thought.

“Look, it’s okay that you failed a test,” Hangyul says, reaching out to grab one of Dohyon’s hands in comfort. “But it’s not okay to lie and make up excuses okay?”

Dohyon pouts. kicking his legs in agitation. “Okay hyung.” He takes another deep breath before he gains the courage to face the two adults in the room. “I actually failed the test for fun.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see his teacher’s eyes widen in shock, and his brother slightly swears under his breath at his revelation. 

“For fun?” Mr. Cho asks, obviously wanting to know the intentions behind his exam grades.

He shrugs, all nonchalant. “Well obviously I’d never fail English and I already know my scores are high enough where one F isn’t even going to dent my grade. I just wanted to know what it would feel like to fail.”

And while Seungyoun’s very glad that Dohyon really _isn’t_ having some crisis, it’s still a little concerning that he would want to fail for the experience of it.

“So how do you feel about failing, kid?” Hangyul asks, clearly looking for the right answer from his little brother. 

The tall kid almost shrinks in his seat. “Failing isn’t fun and it won’t happen again,” he promises, “And i’m sorry for wasting your time today Mr. Cho and also to _you,_ hyung.”

Both of the adults relent, unable to resist the truly regretful eyes coming from the student.

“It’s okay,” they both say at the same time, laughing and blushing as they realize that they’ve spoken in sync.

///

“So did you get Mr. Cho’s number, hyung?”

His older brother rolls his eyes at his little brother, ruffling the boy’s fluffy hair as he walks them to the convenience store next to Hangyul’s dance studio.

“I did,” he says as makes a bee line to the freezers where the ice cream is stored. “And I’ll see if he likes me, but there’s no guarantee that anything will happen though.”

Dohyon’s grabbing around two bars and three mini cups of ice cream when Hangyul opens up the door. “I trust you.”

The dancer rolls his eyes when he sees the sheer volume of food that his little brother has in his arms. 

“And saying I couldn’t walk?” Hangyul clicks his tongue. “I thought you were smarter than that, Dohyon. Out of all the things you could have said to get your teacher to call me, you told him I snapped my ankle saving a cat from a tree?”

“I had to play up your animal loving nature! Guys love that!”

His brother gives another sigh of disappointment. “Sometimes I forget that for a kid so smart, you’ll always be my dumb little brother.”

The younger boy shrugs, unbothered. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, hyung.”

///

**dodo**

my plan is complete

now it’s up to my brother to use his cool guy charm to take mr cho out on a date

**pyo**

my dad’s been texting a certain someone a lot though, and he mentioned that he might be asking someone out on valentines day :000

**eunsang**

excuse me did you see how giddy yohan was when we ask him about his day???

**hyeongjun**

the man is in love with mr cho,, i just KNOW it

**minhee**

and when mr kim sweeps mr cho off his feet with a valentines day surprise first thing in the morning????

**Junho**

as if mr cho would say no to a confession in front of all his students :))

///

“Yohan, what’s your ideal type?”

Today’s PE lesson is dance, and all the kids are taking time to do a free stretch as Yohan walks around and makes sure that everyone’s all set and settled before he lines the class up.

He freezes, a little caught off guard as he almost trips over his feet as he passes by Eunsang and Hyeongjun, who diligently touch their toes as they warm up. The teacher catches himself, feet moving quick to keep him from face planting into the floor.

“And why do you want to know my ideal type?” Sometimes he just doesn’t understand kids, but then again he probably asked insane questions in his own youth. Middle schoolers _are_ a breed of their own, which is only expected because it’s an important time of growth.

The two kids rise from their two touch, smiling ear to ear (which may or may not make Yohan remember why he became a teacher in the first place.)

“We just want to know!” Eunsang says, “It’s almost Valentine’s Day and I can already feel like love in the air!”

Hyeongjun stands on one foot and pulls one of his knees to his chest as he stretches. “Don’t _you_ feel the love in the air Mr. Kim?”

If he thinks about it a little, thinking of the little heart shaped decorations that litter the walls of the school, then _yeah_ , there’s definitely the Valentine’s day vibe that he can’t deny.

“I guess I _do_ feel the love in the air.” 

And besides, the kids are only in middle school, so what does it matter that he tells them his ideal type. Not like they’re going to go and try to set him up with someone‒ they’re just curious, as all kids are.

“Well I _do_ like someone older than me,” he muses, missing the way the two students are hanging on to each and every word that leaves his lips as they stretch. “And if they were taller and had tattoos that would also be great.”

The kids don’t miss the way he seems to be imagining someone, perhaps a certain teacher of interest that they both know perfectly fit Yohan’s description. His cheeks are slightly flushed, gaze unfocused and lips curling into a soft, shy smile that speaks of nothing but pure, fluffy feelings. 

“And have you met someone that fits your perfect type?” Eunsang is quick to keep the conversation going, because they know Yohan tends to get lost in his thoughts sometimes, so if he’s feeling particularly romantic, now is the time to strike. 

He blushes again, “Maybe I did,” before he catches himself and realizes that he’s exposing a little too much information to his students. He shakes his head. “Forget I said anything,” he says, looking weakly at the two kids who seem perfectly fine.

“We won’t say anything!” Hyeongjun reassures him, “But we _really_ want to know more!”

Yohan visibly blanches, because the kids are making puppy eyes at him, like hardcore puppy eyes that makes him want to spill his soul out to the kids. 

“Okay so maybe I’ve been talking to someone, and _maybe_ I’m trying to score myself a Valentine’s Day date,” the teacher sighs, hands holding the clipboard dropping to his side in resignation.

The two students cheer, and clap their hands as if Yohan’s dreams of trying to get himself a date is something worth cheering for, but he’ll take the encouragement from his students.

Eunsang gestures for Yohan and Hyeongjun to come closer whispering in an attempt to keep some form of secrecy between them. “Did you meet them at school?”

“Are you kids like psychics or something?” Yohan recoils back in shock. “Your questions are all oddly specific and terrifyingly accurate.”

Maybe he’s underestimated the sheer power that kids have, probably far more observant than he really gives the credit for.

But both of his students innocently tilt their heads in question. “What do you mean?” Hyeongjun says, “We’re just asking random questions.”

“So you _did_ meet someone at school, didn't you?” Leave it to Eunsang to not let anything slip. “Was it a teacher?”

Yohan takes that as his cue to escape the situation.

“Well would you look at the time! Time for me to be a good teacher and go teach!” 

Face red, fully embarrassed, he turns on his heel and retreats to the other students, who he hopes won’t terrorize him in the same way.

  
  


///

**_eunsang_ **

_we got him boys_

**_hyeongjun_ **

_yohan caught red handed that his ideal type is mr cho + he met his crush at school!!!_

**_minhee_ **

_okay good for you_

**_junho_ **

_but did you see how mr cho was helping mr kim carry those super heavy cases of new textbooks this morning??? whipped_

**_pyo_ **

_are we going to ignore how mr. lee was also helping LOL_

_mr cho ain’t special to mr kim_

**_dodo_ **

_if you want to see the r e a l chemistry, i dare you guys to spy on the teacher’s lounge at lunch lol_

**_eunsang_ **

_you know what?? I JUST MIGHT_

**_hyeongjun_ **

_count me in as well >:)) _

**_minhee_ **

_me too_

**_junho_ **

_ill pass lol_

///

“Hey Seungyoun hyung,” Yohan says as he peacefully eats his lunch with the rest of their little group of faculty friends, including Wooseok, Jinhyuk, and Yuvin. “So say that I want to ask someone out next week or something, how do you suggest I shoot my shot?”

Yuvin, the choir teacher, almost flips the table at Yohan’s words, easily ignoring his own lunch so he can laugh at the youngest teacher. “You like someone?’

“It’s _hypothetical_ ,” Yohan insists, clearly embarrassed that the whole table has abandoned the thought of eating for the sake of scrutinizing Yohan. “What would be your ideal date for Valentines Day?” He asks, with red cheeks and a shy gaze.

Wooseok, from across the table, rolls his eyes, “What do you have a crush on Seungyoun or something?” 

The PE teacher stands up, feeling very attacked, “I said it was hypothetical!” He lets out a groan of frustration, placing his head in his hands because for a group of educators, they’re all damn idiots. 

“Hyung please just tell me your ideal date so I can have the peace of knowing that I’m not a failure at romance.”

Seungyoun looks a little pensive, or as pensive as one can be when holding a lone dumpling with a pair of chopsticks while thinking about his ideal date.

“I mean a candlelit dinner sounds pretty good,” the English teacher says, shrugging his shoulders. 

Wooseok rolls his eyes, “A candlelit dinner? How boring.” 

“Do you have any better ideas,” Jinhyuk jokes from beside him, taking a couple of slices of gimbap from the math teacher. “I think a dinner is just fine for Valentine's day, with fancy food and a bottle of good wine.”

“Boring, absolutely boring,” Wooseok says. “A good date would be going out and doing some window shopping, going to little cafes for cute desserts and just having a good time!” 

Everybody at the table nods appreciatively at Wooseok’s words. Yohan still just groans and bangs his head on the table. “Why does romance have to be so complicated,” He whines, and the teacher gets a flurry of reassuring pats of consolement to his back.

“At least you have some plans for Valentine’s day,” Yuvin says, “Friday night is looking like a romantic pizza date for one while I watch my favorite movie alone.”

“Only if I’m lucky,” Yohan says, distress obvious in his tone. 

Seungyoun smiles, kind. “Don’t worry, Yohannie, you’re young and cute, perfect to grab yourself a nice date!”

///

**_dodo_ **

_u h h h so how did it go_

**_eunsang_ **

_mr cho called yohan c u t e :)))))_

**_minhee_ **

_but did you see how jealous mr kim was :00_

**_hyeongjun_ **

_lol but the way yohan blushed asking about mr cho's ideal date???_

**_minhee_ **

_whatever : ((_

**_junho_ **

_well you guys should come back so you dont get cauhght_

**_pyo_ **

_hes right lets GO!!_

///

“You know what’s been on my mind,’ Seungyoun says, “Middle schoolers are so _weird_.”

There’s a mumble of agreement all across the table. “ _God,_ kids are insane,” Wooseok says, beginning to go off on a rant about the weird encounters he’s been having with his students.

The teachers are so caught up in their own conversation that they don’t notice the way that a group of students hastily scurry away from outside the door to the teacher’s lounge. 

///

**_pyo_ **

_happy valentines day :)))))_

**_hyeongjun_ **

_ahhh!! happy valentines guys!_

**_minhee_ **

_manifesting mr cho and kim getting together today_

**_junho_ **

_dohyon do you want my chocolates_

**_dodo_ **

_yes please and this is an open invitation for everybody to give me their chocolates :)_

**_eunsang_ **

_noted!!_

**_pyo_ **

_also dad said we could have a sleepover at my place today because hes going on a date tonight!!_

_(probably with mr cho heheheheheh)_

**_dodo_ **

_i asked my brother and he said he would buy a pizza for us!!_

**_minhee_ **

_ur brother best bro_

**_eunsang_ **

_im gonna bring snacks!_

**_junho_ **

_ill bring my switch_

**_hyeongjun_ **

_i got the drinks!_

///

It turns out that on Valentine’s day, the entire school goes into full unproductive mode, and the morning starts as eventful as ever as they hear the cheers of students from Mr. Kim’s classroom next door. 

They’re just doing roll call and announcements in homeroom with Mr. Cho, when suddenly Wonyoung from Mr. Kim’s homeroom runs over into their classroom, holding a bouquet of elegant red roses.

“Guys! Mr. Lee just confessed to Mr. Kim! With a huge teddy bear and a bouquet of flowers!”

Mr. Cho almost gives a sigh of relief, “Finally! He’s had a crush on Jinhyuk for so long!”

And this makes both Junho and Minhee facepalm, because of course they’ve mistaken Mr. Kim’s next door teacher crush for the _wrong_ teacher.

Of course it would be Mr. Lee, the charming Chemistry teacher that the kids all love for his fun personality and good choice of exciting experiments where they may or may not blow things up for the novelty of it. 

“Can the class go say congratulations to Mr. Kim and Mr. Lee?” The tall girl asks, and Mr. Cho eagerly nods after he sees that they have around five minutes left before homeroom ends. 

Looking through the door, they kids can’t help but deny that even if their scheme to hook up Mr. Cho and Mr. Kim, hopefully, Mr. Lee can bring some sense of sympathy and kindness from the usually stoic math teacher. 

Mr. Kim looks happy, smiling softly as opposed to the way Mr. Lee laughs along with the class and replies to the student’s chatter. 

///

After an eventful day at school full of confessions, the kids are all picked up by Mr. Han, who has permission from their parents to take the six of them to the Han residence for their Valentine’s Day sleepover.

The kids pile into the home, carrying bags full of food and candies that they've collected over the day. Seungwoo takes the bag of drinks and snacks into the kitchen, before he comes up to ask Dohyon about their dinner plans.

“Dohyon, is your older brother going to be dropping by with the pizza for you guys?” The kid smiles, shaking his head.  
  


“Nope! He’s got himself a date!” He pulls out his phone, pulling up a delivery app. “Hyung showed me how to order food on the phone! And he says that everything will come from his account so we don’t have to worry about paying!”

Seungwoo’s a little amazed with the amount of trust that the kid’s older brother has for Dohyon, but he figures that Dohyon’s always been such a responsible kid where he wouldn’t abuse his card with excessive food deliveries while Seungwoo’s gone.

“And do you have our address?” He asks, just to make sure they won’t be ordering food to the wrong house. 

Dohyon clicks through the app, until there’s a location dot in a map. “Hyung said to just turn on the location and deliver!”

Well, good thing Dohyon is bright for his age and it seems like the kids won’t starve when he goes out on his dinner date. 

///

“Boys!” 

Seungwoo calls down the hallway, now dressed quite fancily, but also still fashionably casual, and he takes a little breath as he stands at the door and looks at his watch, clearly a little nervous. 

He hears the sounds of fumbling footsteps, the yells and jeers of kids that he’s gotten so accustomed to after having hosted sleepover upon sleepover in his household.

“I’ll be leaving now!”

And just as there’s a knock on the door, the boys pile into the living room, near to where the front door is as they look attentively at the door. 

Seungwoo opens the door, and to their surprise, they’re met with the face of Yohan, who’s gingerly holding a bouquet of roses, and is a little shocked to see his students all piled on the couch, eyes on him. 

It’s Dongpyo that speaks first, “You’re dating my dad?” He yells out, and Yohans face instantly turns red in embarrassment. 

“Dongpyo.” Seungwoo chides, voice making his son pout. “We’re nice to guests, right?”

His son diligently nods along. “Sorry Mr. Kim,” he apologizes, “You’re welcome to date my dad.”

The rest of the kids kind of giggle at his formal response, making the PE teacher’s face blush once more.

Seungwoo sighs, ready to lecture the children as a responsible parent should, but he also really wants to leave so he and Yohan can make it to their dinner reservation. 

“Okay kids, remember that if you need anything, just call me, and that Dohyon is going to order the pizza okay?”

There’s a flurry of nods from the boys, which puts both the teacher and Seungwoo at ease. 

“Alright, bye guys!”

///

“So you’re saying that after all that planning, _none_ of us were able to get Mr. Cho a date?” Minhee sighs, taking another sip of his soda can while he watches the others battle it out in a fighting game on the TV screen.

“I’m glad our other teachers and Mr. Han found love, but we can’t even finish the actual goal of our operation!” He laments. 

On screen, Junho gets the killing blow on both Dohyon and Eunsang, knocking their characters right off of the screen as the win screen is displayed. 

“Actually,” Dohyon says, “My brother’s on the date with Mr. Cho right now.”

All of the kids, throw their controllers, crowding around their youngest friend, who pulls out his phone to reveal a text from his older brother reminding them to order dinner, as well as a selfie with Mr. Cho, who’s smiling from ear to ear. 

“How did you win?” Dongpyo exasperatedly yells, grabbing another bag of chips as he does. “We all had such good hunches with our own candidates!”

Dohyon noncommittally shrugs, “You guys were all just assuming,” he reveals. “I just straight up told my brother that he should take Mr. Cho on a date.”

“Well that’s not romantic at all!” Hyeongjun huffs. “We were trying to let love naturally happen!”

Once again Dohyon counters. “They’ve been texting for two weeks, and hyung told me that he’s actually really into Mr. Cho.”

“I’m still pissed,” Minhee says, though he’s still glad that at least their plan worked. 

The youngest friend raises his phone. “Well if you’re angry, we can order a lot more food than just pizza if you want to make hyung’s bank account suffer!”

///

Operation Valentine’s Day ends with Hangyul being Mr. Cho’s Valentine.

But really, only Mr. Cho wins, because Hangyul only realizes _after_ his amazing date that he’s down by almost two hundred dollars on solely delivery foods.   
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for making it to the end!
> 
> please do comment if you enjoyed it / who did you guess would end up with mr cho!


End file.
